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Well, it happened. I received my first alert from the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS). It was late and it woke me up, so it was a stark reminder that I didn’t sign up for this. I didn’t mind though. It was neat and I was delighted to have the experience to share with you. If you are new to The Keep, then you will have to read my post, This is a Test, from July 6, 2012 to catch up. In that post I introduce the CMAS.

Anyway, I’m just beginning to doze the other night when my cell phone, which sleeps under my pillow and doubles as my alarm clock, erupts in the single longest fit of vibrating I’ve ever witnessed. I picked it up to see who the heck was texting/calling so late but also because I recognized that there was something different about this particular buzzing.

So for me at the top of my phone (HTC Rhyme) there is sort of an alter ribbon that gives the typical information: signal strength, battery life, 3G status, download status, etc. Well, when I unlocked the phone, there was a red triangle with a white exclamation point inside of it in the information ribbon. I went “grabbed” it and a text popped up. The text was entitled “Emergency Alert”. It read, “Severe Alert: Flash Flood Warning this area till 11:45 PM EDT. Avoid flood areas. Check local media -NWS”

Other than the unusually long buzzing, the only difference in this text and others was that I was required to select “accept” before it would close.

So, I guess CMAS is here and is operational for at least some smart phones. I am excited. I think this is the right step for this technology driven nation. Job well done for those who worked tirelessly to create this program. Thank you for watching over me while I slept and thank you for the heads up.

PS – One other really important thing happened…baby Lilly arrived. This post is dedicated to her and her wonderful Mama and Daddy. Welcome Lilly, may God’s grace and blessings abound, baby girl.